1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to storage boxes, such as mailboxes, and, in particular, concerns a storage box with a simplified locking mechanism that is gravity and potentially spring biased into the unlocked position in certain applications.
2. Description of the Related Art
Storage boxes, such as mailboxes, are fairly ubiquitous devices in everyday world. Generally, mailboxes such as those used in post offices or in commercial buildings comprise at least a partially enclosed box with an access door or panel that allows the owner of the mailbox to selectively access the interior of the mailbox to pick up their mail. These types of mailboxes can range in size from 3″×4″ to much larger enclosures that are 1′×1′ or even greater.
It is desirable to be able to lock the access door to prevent unauthorized people from accessing and stealing the contents of the mailbox. Generally, the lock mechanism that is used in such mailboxes is relatively unsophisticated. Typically, it comprises a cylindrical lock body that extends through the door and is rotatable between a locked and unlocked position. A latch member is attached to the cylindrical lock body so as to be rotatable therewith so that the latch member engages with an interior wall of the mailbox in the locked position and is rotated away from engagement with the interior wall in an unlocked position. The lock is attached to the door in a number of known ways including by bolts, nuts, springs, clips, etc.
The previously described lock mechanism is relatively effective at providing some level of security for the mailbox. However, for larger mailboxes with larger access openings, this type of lock mechanism is more problematic. Specifically, the lock mechanism is only locking the door to the enclosure at a single point. Generally, mailboxes are made out of material such as sheet metal or aluminum and the like which can be easy to bend. For example, one common way to gain unauthorized access to the interior of a mailbox is to insert a screwdriver or crowbar into a corner of the mailbox door that is located away from the lock member. The door can then be bent or the lock cam or member can be broken through the force of the crowbar or screwdriver so that access to the interior of the mailbox can be obtained.
While it is well known to have multipoint locks to secure access doors and openings to enclosures, the typical multipoint lock is not readily adaptable for such things as mailboxes. Specifically, mailboxes are generally designed to be as inexpensive as possible. Further, there are also space and weight constraints that limit the amount of hardware that can be positioned inside of the mailbox. As a consequence, the typical multipoint lock which has members that extend off of the rotating shaft and connect with the frame at the sidewalls of the opening are generally too expensive, too weighty or too complex to be implemented successfully in mailbox applications. Further, mailboxes are generally going to be opened and closed a considerable amount of time as compared to many other enclosures and the continuous use of the mailbox may result in the more complex multipoint locking systems failing. Further, the contents of mailboxes can also be wedged up against the multipoint lock system so that the system may be jammed or otherwise prevented from operating correctly.
Based upon the foregoing, it will be appreciated that there is a need for a more reliable inexpensive multipoint lock system for storage enclosures, such as mailboxes. To this end, there is a need for a simple locking device that is reliable and easy to manipulate.